Must haves for tiki hut / tiki bar

I am writing an article on creating a tiki hut or tiki bar for your backyard. Any suggestions as to what I should include? Are there certain "must haves" for a tiki bar or tiki hut? Does it have to have a thatched roof or are metal roofs okay?
My original article was just going to be about thatched roof tiki huts but then I found your cool website and realized the article could be a lot more!!

Any and all suggestions are appreciated.
thanks
Betsy

http://www.naturesdetails.net/BetsyFranz

[ Edited by: backyarder1 2006-05-12 16:56 ]

Lots of electric outlets!

I think it should have red lighting, a water feature (waterfall, pond, etc), thatch roof or tin roof is cool, lots of bamboo and strong bar stools for heavy drunks. A good stereo for exotica music, a puffer fish or three, and of course, at least one carved tiki should be on this list too. A few wind chimes are always welcome too.

Hmmm. I wouldn't have guessed the red lights.:)

A tiki bar needs tikis. If what you're looking at is a bamboo hut with thatch on top, it's not a tiki bar, it's a bamboo bar. Once you put some tikis in it (and hopefully some tiki-friendly items like float lamps, pufferfish lamps, tapa cloth, etc.), only then is it a tiki bar.

There is much more confusion about this in Florida than in other parts of the nation/world. This is probably due to the many chikee-inspired huts, grown out of traditional Seminole housing that uses thatch. They look like they would be right at home inside of a tiki bar, and the words "chikee" and "tiki" sound similar enough to those who don't know what the words mean, that in Florida, it has become common to call them "tiki" huts. But they're not, and to perpetuate that misunderstanding would do a disservice to Seminole history, Polynesian Pop history, and most of all your readers. It has made it very, very hard to find a real tiki bar in Florida!

To quote bigbro: "If it says tiki on it, it should have tiki in it."

I've not heard red lights as a must before either, but a tiki truly IS.
What Humuhumu said!

(Red lights are more flattering than blue, but mixes of various soft lights are all good. The trick is: no ugly, harsh lighting! Hence, the "tiki-friendly" pufferfish lamps, fishing float lamps, etc. that she mentioned. EVERYbody looks prettier in soft lighting!)

You may be noticing a proclivity towards enjoying these at night. That's perhaps because unwinding with a mai tai is a lovely thing to do after work. But hey - more power to you if you can figure out a way to build in mai-tai-enjoying as part of your daily grind!

I'd not thought about tin roofed huts....I guess in a pinch? Really, as long as you make it your own bamboo or rattan tropical paradise inside, the outside's not as important. Just take a look at many of our interior tiki bars and try and guess the outside architecture of the home!! Usually NO correlation! And that's usually the key; it's your escape.

Then some folks like Tiki Bong go and re-do the whole exterior of his home to make it match the tropical inside!
F

On 2006-05-10 11:07, Humuhumu wrote:
...There is much more confusion about this in Florida than in other parts of the nation/world. This is probably due to the many chikee-inspired huts, grown out of traditional Seminole housing that uses thatch. They look like they would be right at home inside of a tiki bar, and the words "chikee" and "tiki" sound similar enough to those who don't know what the words mean, that in Florida, it has become common to call them "tiki" huts. But they're not, and to perpetuate that misunderstanding would do a disservice to Seminole history, Polynesian Pop history, and most of all your readers. It has made it very, very hard to find a real tiki bar in Florida!

That being said, Seminole builders can make one hell of a basic tiki hut shell. While equally adept with bamboo, their wood and palm structures are amazing. The bigger the better, and as long as you're paying, these talented Native American craftsman won't mind if you fill your new chickee with tikis, puffers and tapa cloth or simply use it as a carport.

Everything listed is all well and good but I can't believe no one has mentioned the most important component of a tiki bar - Rum... lots and lots of rum.

That's why I needed to ask you guys. From what I read, there is tiki culture, which is primarilly just Polynesian pop. It doesn't necessarilly include a tiki. Here is a link for more info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiki_culture

And then there is Tiki. Here is a link for more info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiki_%28mythology%29

As for chickee hut......now I'll have to do a little more research.

Anyone want to email me directly and get me up to speed, PLEASE DO!!

About a month and a half ago I posted some pictures of my new tiki hut. Here are some updated shots going along with "must have's for a tiki hut / bar"...

A hut (a place to sit) and a bar (a place to drink):

Pufferfish:

Lights:

and Tikis:

We work on upgrades to the tiki bar this weekend!

• Myke

..most important...a luau lantern or 2...you can purchase them here at:

http://www.dskdesigns.com

free shipping!!

[ Edited by: Tipsy McStagger 2006-05-10 14:37 ]

On 2006-05-10 14:34, tikiwinebear wrote:
About a month and a half ago I posted some pictures of my new tiki hut. Here are some updated shots going along with "must have's for a tiki hut / bar"...

Looking good Myke! Hey ... just keep that big white rat away from my mai tai!

Thanks, hodadhank! I will tell my 15 year old, Cairn terrier, Hogan, that you called him a rat. He will munch on you with his remaining 2 teeth! :wink:

• Myke

Yo lady!

You opened up a can of worms here! Everyone has their idea of what a tiki bar should look like... so that in itself is the clue of what is required.

It's how YOU feel about it. Not all the others! That's creativity in the works. When you ask others for what the tiki bar should be, you're not being very creative!

The sky is the limit. I doint think that there is any true 'guide' on how to do this. It just flows.

Yes, does seem like sort of an oxymoron that a structure that is supposed to allow people to be laid back, relaxed and party would have so many "shoulds" attached to it.

:)

On 2006-05-10 18:38, tikigap wrote:
Yo lady!

You opened up a can of worms here! Everyone has their idea of what a tiki bar should look like... so that in itself is the clue of what is required.

It's how YOU feel about it. Not all the others! That's creativity in the works. When you ask others for what the tiki bar should be, you're not being very creative!

The sky is the limit. I doint think that there is any true 'guide' on how to do this. It just flows.

be that as it may.......no bar is ever complete....... without a luau lantern.....

....and don't ya go messin' with nunna that neon!! I knew a guy who once stared at a neon sign for too long--they say it cooked his brain!!!!!!!

On 2006-05-10 18:38, tikigap wrote:
Yo lady!

You opened up a can of worms here! Everyone has their idea of what a tiki bar should look like... so that in itself is the clue of what is required.

It's how YOU feel about it. Not all the others! That's creativity in the works. When you ask others for what the tiki bar should be, you're not being very creative!

The sky is the limit. I doint think that there is any true 'guide' on how to do this. It just flows.

Tikigap, as a tiki carver I would think you would agree that a "Tiki Bar" should at the very least have a Tiki. No?

I think I have more than one tiki in every room of my house!

On 2006-05-10 20:20, Hakalugi wrote:

On 2006-05-10 18:38, tikigap wrote:
Yo lady!

You opened up a can of worms here! Everyone has their idea of what a tiki bar should look like... so that in itself is the clue of what is required.

It's how YOU feel about it. Not all the others! That's creativity in the works. When you ask others for what the tiki bar should be, you're not being very creative!

The sky is the limit. I doint think that there is any true 'guide' on how to do this. It just flows.

Tikigap, as a tiki carver I would think you would agree that a "Tiki Bar" should at the very least have a Tiki. No?

On 2006-05-10 20:33, tikiskip wrote:
I think I have more than one tiki in every room of my house!

So this sounds like a 'yes' to me.

Oh, and don't forget a luau lantern or two. Or even three.

If only I could remember where you can get them. Does anyone know?

Ahu

On 2006-05-10 18:38, tikigap wrote:

The sky is the limit. I doint think that there is any true 'guide' on how to do this. It just flows.

There USED to be one...it was called the "Book of Tiki". But that's out of print now, outdated, so who cares...just go with he flow and pick what you like...as long as you can get plastered and have "fun"!

...didn't that book mention something about "Tiki Devolution"..?

WELL ,that should end it.

On 2006-05-12 04:28, TIKI DAVID wrote:
WELL ,that should end it.

Well, not yet. How could I have missed the BOT - of course there is a guide for this stuff!

And hakalugi - a tiki bar must have more than 1 tiki!

Ok, that should end it. :wink:

what i meant was ,when BIGBRO speaks thats the final word.

Has anyone ever tasted blow fish?

On 2006-05-12 16:53, MTKahuna wrote:
Has anyone ever tasted blow fish?

it sucks.

Mahalo

I think tropical becomes tiki when there are pieces of craftwork/artwork of traditional pacific cultures around.

Masks, Carvings, and so on.

Trader Vics has also blended Non-tropical Pacific themes in theres, and it works...Walrus Skulls, Skin Kayaks...

Often visual links to things one thinks of as Tiki are effective...(Swordfish, Nets, Tortoise, floats...)

Also the element of "Cargo Worship" or "ShipWreck" give an immediate feel of tropical island, because of all the books and film...it's an immediate cue to that spot being a departure from day-to-day life.

Big leafed plants, and little nooks to sit in, volcanic rock, the sound of splashing water from a pond fountain or waterfall...

It's easy to belend elements of other tropical stuff, and have it dilute the Tiki-ness...(Corona sign, steel drum music...)

Hope this helps

To be a Tiki bar, the space must have Tikis- lots of them, the more the better! Tiki mugs peering down off shelves, Tikis peeking out from behind tropical leaves in lush gardens, Tikis towering over small children, Tikis and Moai with fire atop their heads, or in their mouths as gigantic fireplaces, Tikis that spit water as fountains, Tikis as furniture, Tikis as decorative moldings, Tikis in paintings, Tikis on tabletops, Tikis between bottles of Rhum, Tikis stirring your exotic cocktails, Tikis rising up out of waterfalls and silent pools, Tiki eyes always upon the unsuspecting, Tikis enjoying the praise of drunken natives on into the night!

Once that basic requirement is fulfilled, (and it never really can be, we continually add to our Tiki Lounge with more and even more images of the Tikis as the artists among us continue to show us more and more of their personalities), but once you at least have MANY Tikis, you can move along towards other 'Tiki elements' that complete the scene. Tiki is about overwhelming the senses with lush exotic escapism. Items don't have to be 'authentic' although it usually helps to have at least a few war clubs, some lovely tapa cloth, or shrunken heads from the isles. Throughout, there should be a sense of leisure, relaxation, and of having traveled to somewhere else, or perhaps some time else, at least for a while.

This means getting all the senses involved. Exotica music coming from 'somewhere', Arthur Lyman, Les Baxter, Martin Denny. etc and the soft splashing of water. A few words of hawaiian spoken here and there; "ono ono","wikiwiki","muumuu","Wahine", etc. Perhaps jungle drums in the distance, or the calls of wild parrots. A Uke! Old Hawai'ian 78s!

Drinks that are truly the elixirs of the gods- not too sweet, not too tart, with mint, or nutmeg, or a wild orchid. Food that often can be eaten with ones hands, puupuus. Fresh fish steamed in leaves, tropical fruits, coconut milk, and pounded poi.

A feast for the eyes by softly glowing lights or better yet, Tiki torchlight! Things that wash up on the shore or relate to seafaring; ships wheels, portholes, gigantic glass fish floats in lovely colors- preferably lit from within! Ships riggings, pufferfish lamps with colored bulbs within. Every flat surface covered with tapa, bamboo, rattan, or woven matting. Whenever possible use of natural materials, raffia, woven palm, bacbac. This makes a wonderful contrast to the high polish of ship's brass. Port and Starboard lights, fish nets, and black velvet paintings of lovely wahines!

Tiki bars are best in unexpected environments, a restaurant shaped like a gigantic war canoe sitting smack dab in the middle of early suburbia, places that look like complete dives from the outside, or soaring A-frames tucked into the modern landscape. Ideally, they have no windows and two sets of doors- so no natural daylight leaks in. You should be unable to tell what time of day it is outside once you're inside. Clocks should be discrete- tucked away, and Televisions are a definite no no!

A stream or waterfall running through even a home bar is a central element, lots of natural rock, sometimes even rock walls with Tridacna Gigas clamshells either catching water dripping down among tropical foliage, or simply backlit as lights. Small bridges crossing the stream multiple times though a space is a traditional design.

Little bits and pieces of oriental art from 'exotic lands' far away may also appear here and there. The occasional Japanese parasol or Chinese carved pannel, and can be in keeping with the pacific rim adventures, so long as these elements do not in any way begin to overwhelm the space.

A Garden area filled with lush greenery and orchids, Anthuriums, and Gingers lit by moonlight and torches with Tikis both front and center and hidden in the underbrush is wonderful. Think of stumbling onto the ruins of a secret garden, then create! It should smell of Pikake, Plumeria, and Tuberose.

There should be areas to sit, be that on sturdy barstools, or comfey couches, or even big overstuffed pillows on a small grassy lawn watching native dancers doing traditional hula. The sit places should also have lots of safe sturdy places to set a Tiki mug safely.

The best Tiki places have a feeling of timeless age. Here and there a slight layer of dust, the browning of old tapa, the mellowing of old bamboo.

Menus should have pictures of drinks and descriptions that may or may not tell you what the primary ingredients in the drink are, but instead how strong it is and what kind of feeling it is mean to evoke. It may also tell you when the drink is to be enjoyed, late afternoon, watching the sun go down, early evening, before dinner, with dinner, after dinner, on into the evening after cigars, etc.

But the single most important element beyond the Tikis themselves is not the tapa, the fishnet, the blowfish lamp, the antique rhums, the music, the drinks, or any one THING, instead it is attitude.

A Tiki bar must have Aloha spirit. It must be welcoming to newcommer and old timer alike. It must have a sense of PLACE, and exude the love of those who created their little piece of paradise on earth from every detail. A Tiki bar without Aloha is like, a Tiki bar without Tikis- it fails to meet the basic definition.

[ Edited by: Sabina 2006-05-25 19:11 ]

HERE! HERE! Sabina. Well said!

Oh, and don't forget a luau lantern or two. Or even three.

If only I could remember where you can get them. Does anyone know?

first; what da hellza "luau lantern"?!

second; whatdahellza "chickee hut"?!

whatever it is,
it's oafishul: that part of america has chickee culture. "Bro!"

oooooh kay!

http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_action=doc&p_docid=111CBDAE5C219960

1. booze
2. people to drink it with you.

On 2006-05-25 05:18, McTiki wrote:

Mahalo

McTiki! That looks GREAT! Where in Sunny Florida are you? We are in sunny Safety Harbor, which is near Clearwater, but bayside.

Great looking tiki bar area you have there.

BTW, is that a REAL Black Racer snake on your pool deck!?

Kanekila

Kanekila

[ Edited by: Kanekila 2006-05-29 18:37 ]

brilliant post Sabina!!!

No kidd'n -- truly brilliant Sabina, and one worth returning to, and referring others to from now and then.

The space you describe allows one to enjoy a sense of "worldliness" -- reflecting, perhaps, on one's travels and familiarity with other cultures -- resisting modern culture's tendency to render such things consumerist and status-oriented (as if our adventures on this blue planet were being narrated by the guy who does the voice-overs on the Visa commercials).

Equally as important, though, it is a standing rebuke to the tendency to create hierarchies of knowlege with regard to such things. I went to India at age 20. Upon return, Mom took me to an Indian restaurant to salute my adventure -- and I tut-tutted about how the decor and food were, in various ways, inauthentic. Only later did I realize what an insufferable ass I'd been.

(A friend recently told me of a young lady from his town who went on some trip to Colombia. When she returned, it was "in Colombia this..." and "in Colombia that..." -- and Colombia was pronounced as in Spanish, "CoLOMbia," as though this was the right way to pronounce it (and by implication everyone else was wrong) even when speaking English. It struck me as funny, and I relate it here in order to take the heat off myself after having admitted I'd once been an insufferable ass (long ago!).)

I'd like to think the mix of cultural receptivity and gonzo, "what the ****" attitude of tiki is the perfect antidote to that sort of pomposity. Tiki is not derivative -- it is transcendant!

Some claim that tiki is superficial and inauthentic. They are, as Bogart might have said, "two drinks behind." The fact that it can't be "nailed down" and doesn't adhere "authentically" to one specific locale's culture (as a World Music enthusiast might prefer (and an appreciative shout-out to World Music enthusiasts by the way)) is a strength. It is untethered from the ground. Can you relate? It is a "virtual nation."

I'm on a roll here and could go on, I really could.

Anything goes? Ironically, no. Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead played some pretty wild, "anything goes" guitar. But he always used standard tunings, and, ironically, drew much of his inspiration from old-time Appalachian music. OK, so maybe you find the Grateful Dead unlistenable -- what's the point? It's that tiki's "standard tuning" is the Pacific. Or I should say the "fantasy Pacific." Big difference. But the point is, Caribbean styles and sounds are so beguiling on their own, they deserve their own spheres separate from tiki. Each is great, but they are tuned in different keys, and the idea of having them jam together sounds groovy at first, but then the reality unfolds and people start demurely checking their watches and mumbling about what a busy day they have tomorrow. No, it's really best to just not do it.

By the way, I've got a funny feeling that the next "tiki revival" is going to happen somewhere unexpected, like in China.

The quote is:
"The whole world is about three drinks behind."
-- Humphrey Bogart

Many Mahalos for the kind words, folks! (I must admit, coming back the next morning and looking at what I had written, I also had to admit to being a bit proud myself- it isn't often I can actually write it out.)

I think, for myself and some others perahps, tightened up a bit, it is kinda THE personal statement of what I'm eventually aiming towards with our Lounge of the Seven Pleasures- it's going to take a few decades to get close, though.

I should also point out, all 'worldliness' aside- closest I've really done to islands with Palms are places like Key West- and that's VERY different. The post comes firmly from plotting and Day-Dreaming, not firsthand experiencing. I can sit in the Lounge and contemplate what it's supposed to sound like, smell like, the sound of wind in palms, etc, then I work towards making the space more so.

Besides- this is all about Mainland dreaming- island lust for idealized islands either never experienced, or what soldiers in, for example WWII actually experienced and wanted to recreate. Our interpretations are interpretations of their interpretations- getting all the more "polypop" with each transition. It's the pop interpretation and idealized notions of what 'the islands' might be, not the authentic.

All that said, I need to rework that piece and eventually stick it on the back of our menu or something.

At its heart my post above, etc, all this is Tiki longing, island-maddness, and a restless mainland native lusting for a home unknown.

"Bali Ha'i will whisper
In the wind of the sea:
"Here am I, your special island!
Come to me, come to me!"

Kanekila, We are in Merritt Island. Thanks for the props. Snake is fake! (Bird repellent)

Major props to Sabina!